Synopsis:
Generations collide in this hysterical comedy starring Sebastian Maniscalco and two-time Oscar® winner Robert De Niro (including Best Actor, Raging Bull, 1980). Sebastian (Maniscalco) is encouraged by his fiancée (Leslie Bibb) to bring his Italian hairdresser father Salvo (De Niro) to a weekend get-together to meet her wealthy and eccentric family (Anders Holm, David Rasche, Brett Dier, and Kim Cattrall). As the weekend turns into an outrageous clash of cultures, Sebastian and Salvo discover that the great thing about family is everything about family.
What We Thought:
About My Father was a bit disappointing. I’m a big fan of Sebastian Maniscalco and I think Robert De Niro is one of the few dramatic actors who can do comedy very well. I thought they were good together, but the story itself is all over the map and loses focus. It had potential to be a nice surprise, but ultimately it will be forgotten about.
The worst part is, the story should work. Sebastian Maniscalco has a girlfriend he wants to propose to and is spending the Fourth of July holiday with her upper crust family. His immigrant father (De Niro) goes as well and it’s the classic fish-out-of-water story with the say anything/do anything De Niro and the more refined family. It does get laughs, but the film has too many characters and side stories.
Early on you think the girlfriend’s brothers will play a bigger role. The one brother reminded me of Bradley Cooper’s character in Wedding Crashers and he could have been the perfect foil to Maniscalco. Unfortunately the character comes and goes and seems wasted. Same for the younger brother. They don’t spend enough time with these characters for them to truly serve a purpose by film’s end.
Leslie Bibb plays the girlfriend and is perfect for these roles. She’s pretty in the romantic lead way, but is also funny enough to hold her own opposite a stand-up comedian. You can see her character being with Maniscalco. David Rasche and Kim Cattrall play Bibb’s parents and Cattrall might steal the film. She gets big laughs and is great opposite De Niro.
I thought the film needed to spend more time with Maniscalco and De Niro though. It’s based on Sebastian’s real life relationship with his father and the two could have delivered a funny yet heart felt movie. There are laughs and the two have good chemistry together and I wish the film was more about that and less about trying to put them in ridiculous situations.
We’ve seen a slew of movies based on comedian’s real lives of late like The Big Sick and Easter Sunday and About My Father is the latest. It’s watchable, but completely forgettable. If the film focused more it would be better. There was enough there to be similar to Wedding Crashers’ family get together scenes, but ultimately it just doesn’t get the job done.
BONUS FEATURES
- One Big Happy Family: Making About My Father
- Sebastian: The Big Stage to the Big Screen
- About My Look: From Frugal to Fancy
- Theatrical Trailer
The Nerds Templar 